Visit our Popular Forums

mmenchel · 06-24-2010, 07:59 PM

I've posted before and many have tried to help but I am still baffled. Just purchased a 1963 22' Safari all original. I've connected to shore power and lights and fans all work. Purchased a new 12v battery. I cut the ends and reclamped the pos and neg wires for better connections. In the triler there are 2 toggle switch plates. 1 under the top cabinet above the stove and 1 in the top mid of the trailer next to a fan.On city power it operates that fan There are 3 positions; city power, battery power and off. Nothing works on battery power, nothing. There is no fuse box anywhere in the trailer that I can find and I have searched in every nook and cranny. I thought there might be a flip over switch on the fuse box or something but I think the change over operates at those toggle switches. Does anyone have a '63 like this? Anyone have any suggestions? I'm a newbie at this but I am getting there...slowly but surely
Thanks, Mike

BIGED52 · 06-24-2010, 08:53 PM

It sounds to me like you have a converter issue. If the converter is plugged in and it is taking in the 110v ac it should be putting out 12v dc to those items and you can check the output at the converter. It should be approx. 13.5 vdc going to the battery. If not the 12v items in the trailer are not going to work if the battery power is low, or dead. Check the search function for the type converter you have and there will be all sorts of info. Ed

63air · 06-24-2010, 09:02 PM

You have two totally separate electrical systems in your '63-the 110v and the 12V. Each light fixture has 110 and 12v lights. Do your 12v lights work? Beside connecting the pos and neg cables to the battery , you also need a ground wire from the neg post to the shell of the trailer.
All your 12v fixtures and fans use the shell for the 12v ground.

First thing I would do is test the new battery to make sure you are getting 12v from it. If its not the simple things you have to look for circuit breakers fuses and finally broken or shorted wire. Good luck!

mmenchel · 06-25-2010, 07:51 AM

Thanks for the responses. Can anyone tell me where the converter might be? There are no fuses or circuit breakers or boxes to check. Could I simply have the polarity on the cables reversed? In the battery box there are connecting wires. 2 are together and are reddish/orange and 1 is green. Could the 2 red/orange ones be the ground and the green be the hot?

mmenchel · 06-25-2010, 07:52 AM

sorry obviously meant to say that in the battery box there are 3 connecting wires

flyfshr · 06-25-2010, 08:30 AM

Is there anyway for you to post pictures of your battery box with the connections? I'm not sure a '63 had a factory Univolt. Does your '63 have the rear compartment door? If so, there maybe screw in type glass fuses on the inside of this compartment on the exterior wall or try in the front under the window inside a cabinet base of couch/dinette. There should be a fuse box/panel/block or something unless a prior owner took it all out. Its still all fixable.

Brad
FF

kevinb · 06-25-2010, 08:41 AM

no univolt in 63, didnt start till 64
kevin

mmenchel · 06-25-2010, 08:52 AM

Thanks Brad. I don't always get the "Where to post" right but I appreciate your help! I will get pictures later today. There's no fuses/box inside the camper anywhere. There is a water pressure regulator(?) with an in line fuse in it but that's the only fuse I can find in the entire trailer. There is a storage box outside back under the license plate but it'd locked and the seller could not find the key. I will have to break the lock(I dread that) to see but that's the only place that had not been thoroughly searched. I see your a flyfisherman. Me too!
Mike

mmenchel · 06-25-2010, 08:54 AM

that's what I thought and I can't figure out this system. I know it's got to be so basic; it's a '63

flyfshr · 06-25-2010, 09:01 AM

Pictures will really help. Please post when you can the battery connections, this pressure regulator thing (expect it to be a compressor) and anything else relating to the 12 volt system. Do you have the battery box on the exterior under the front window? If so, then you have either the Land Yacht model or the International and not the Standard. Somewhere here, I have the distinctions of what came with each model if that may help.

Yes, I cannot get enough of flyfishing.

Brad
FF

68 TWind · 06-25-2010, 09:25 AM

Follow the shore power cord into the trailer, there should be a breaker box. Most likely it is mounted on the inner wall on the back of the trailer. From the AC breaker box there should be a couple of circuits for AC and one circuit running to the Univolt ( the AC to DC converter). Find the converter, mine was under the bathroom sink, and see if it is getting 110 volts into it when plugged in and if there is 12V going out on the 12 volt side. There should be 2 wires running back to the battery ( positive and negative) . Also in line between the converter and the battery there will be an old type fuse block (with bus type fuses). On my 68 there are two red wires and two white wire going to the to of the battery, one set comes in from the converter (Univolt) and the other goes out to the 12 volt fuse panel. Both are connected on the battery posts. Hope this helps and sorry if it is too basic but just wanted to be sure you had checked everything. 63's may be a little different.

68 TWind · 06-25-2010, 09:42 AM

Didnt know there was no univolt. I started the message and had a call so I hit send about about an hour after I started typing. How did the pre 64's charge the battery?

Overlander & Sea · 06-25-2010, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 68 TWind

How did the pre 64's charge the battery?

They didn't. That's way I added a converter to my '61. The only way to charge the battery was from the tow vehicle when towing.

Did you check too see if the City Power/Battery swith is good (on the Battery side)? Do you have 12v power up to that switch?

I know that there are not any 12v fuses in both my '61 & my '63. I have read here on the forums that some members that have these old AS that have the 110v/12v seperate system have 12v fuses behind the front gaucho in the front wall behind a small plate close to the floor. There "may" be two old screw-in type fuse-like the ones older homes had in them.

1rivetshort · 06-25-2010, 11:26 AM

According to the specs sheet for a 63 the 12v & 110v are two separate entities - It looks like there should be a circuit breaker somewhere within/near the battery compartment... check this out: http://service.airstream.com/files/l...040fca2ce1.pdf (see the 2nd column of features about half-way down.)

mmenchel · 06-26-2010, 10:35 PM

OK so thanks to everyone that kept insisting that there was a breaker box in the trailer because today I found it!! It was in the outside storage compartment in the back under the license plate. I had to break in because the PO lost the key but there was the box! It has 2 breakers on it and a little clear lightbulb (very small) on top. Now here's the issue...what do I do now...still no 12v battery power. Is there a switch I am supposed to throw? What is that little light on top supposed to do? Again, plugged in to shore power all is AOK. Battery power there is absolutely nothing happening. Any ideas? Hey at least I found the breaker box!

goransons · 06-26-2010, 10:57 PM

The 12v and 110 systems are completely seperate on 1963. As mentioned earlier by others, the switches by fans etc allowed you to either use the 12 volt motor on battery, or use city 110 power to power an inverter/converter that was located at the device (on the frame of the ceiling vent, etc).

There shouldn't be a switch. Do you have a volt meter? Can you confirm the battery has a 12v charge? Have you tried removing/cleaning/reattaching the other end of the ground wire to the shell? I suspect that either the ground from the wire you attached to the battery back to the shell is bad, or the main circuit breaker is bad. Look for one of these by the battery, might be under a cabinet by above the battery box. It is a circuit breaker that may be bad. You can always jumper the top to see if that solves the power issue then replace. Look in the attached picture, above the wires coming out the wall, you'll see two wires and a small plastic piece with 2 terminals, and 2 wires coming out of the wall. If that is bad, no power will get to the rest of the trailer.

mmenchel · 06-26-2010, 11:23 PM

OK we are getting somewhere. There are 3 wires to be connected to the battery comming out of the battery box; 2 orange and 1 green. The orange ones are connected as 1. Are they the pos or the neg? I located the breaker box but it seems to be fine if it is working at all. How would I know? When I am plugged in to AC nothing trips?

goransons · 06-26-2010, 11:34 PM

to test the 110 AC plug something you know works into one of the interior outlets, a hair dryer, or lamp or something. 12 volt, Orange is all the 12 volt positive, the green is ground. I bet that green wire is all messed up, not on the end at your battery, but on the inside skin where they pop rivet the wire to the skin of the trailer, if it is even still attached. You'll find the Orange wire throughout the trailer is your 12 volt lights, fans, etc.

mmenchel · 06-27-2010, 10:56 PM

thanks guys. Did a lot of exploration today and found that piece with two wires attached to two terminals coming out of the wall. Thay are all covered over with Zolatone but I pulled the wires out a little bit and both plastic wraps look white. If this what you are referring to and I think it is they must have changed wires and colors somewhere in that wall. I scratched them a little but could not get a 12v current tester to register on them.Lit up on the battery wires well so I know the tester and the battery are working. Still no 12v battery power working in the camper. I'm baffled

BIGED52 · 06-27-2010, 11:35 PM

Did you attach the two orange wires back to the positive terminal of the battery and the green to the negative terminal? If that has been done test the 12 volt orange wires at each light fixture (orane wire - positive) and ground to shell (exterior skin panel). If no power you probably have a broken wire or connector inside the skins. You may need to remove an inner skin panel near the battery to see if that green wire is disconnected or bad to the exterior skin panel. Try to think 1 step at a time in the wiring. Ground wire first then if it has continuity move to the two orange wires checking each one for voltage to a good ground! Hope this gets you on the right track. Ed